Welding schools in Louisiana
14 welding training programs in Louisiana, sourced from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and the AWS ATF Domestic Site Listing.
California Shipbuilding Corporation, Wilmington, CA, 1942. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI, public domain
↔ Swipe to see tuition, phone, and AWS ATF
| Program | City | Tuition | Phone | AWS ATF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Louisiana Technical Community College | Alexandria | $4,099 | (318) 487-5443 | No |
| Northshore Technical Community College | Lacombe | $4,299 | (985) 545-1500 | No |
| Louisiana Delta Community College | Monroe | $4,159 | (866) 500-5322 | No |
| Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College | Minden | $4,109 | (318) 371-3035 | No |
| Baton Rouge Community College | Baton Rouge | $4,321 | (866) 217-9823 | Co-located |
| SOWELA Technical Community College | Lake Charles | $4,305 | (337) 421-6565 | No |
| South Louisiana Community College | Lafayette | $4,210 | (337) 521-9000 | No |
| Delgado Community College | New Orleans | $4,279 | (504) 671-5000 | No |
| Nunez Community College | Chalmette | $4,255 | (504) 278-6467 | No |
| Fletcher Technical Community College | Schriever | $4,219 | (985) 448-7900 | No |
| Bossier Parish Community College | Bossier City | $4,283 | (318) 678-6000 | No |
| River Parishes Community College | Gonzales | $4,079 | (225) 743-8500 | No |
| Compass Career College | Hammond | $19,758 | (985) 419-2050 | No |
| Moore Career College | Baton Rouge | n/a | n/a | Co-located |
Louisiana trains for a wage well above the national line
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (SOC 51-4121), retrieved via api.bls.gov 2026-08-05 puts Louisiana's median welder wage at $62,250 a year, ahead of the $53,750 national median. Petrochemical and pipeline work along the Gulf Coast is the reason: this is one of the higher-paying states in the country for welding.
14 welding programs feed that market, 12 public and 2 private. Median tuition among the 13 programs reporting a figure is $4,255, below the $4,728 national median.
Picking a program
River Parishes Community College in Gonzales is the state's lowest-cost option; Compass Career College in Hammond runs considerably higher. The full list, sortable by cost, is in the table above. 2 Louisiana programs co-locate an AWS Accredited Test Facility, letting a graduate test for AWS Certified Welder on the same campus.
Baton Rouge leads the state with 2 programs, followed by Alexandria at 1. Once certified, Baton Rouge, LA, Lafayette, LA, Lake Charles, LA each have an own-site-verified shop directory below for finding work near a specific parish.